Bottle filling machine with sensor and method thereof

ABSTRACT

A filling apparatus and method including a carrier for transporting containers and having a plurality of valves, each of the valves being opened for an individual, specific period of time to control a flow of liquid into the respective containers, while the containers are transported by the carrier. An exit feed path transports the containers after the containers have been filled, and a sensor, such as a camera, detects a level of liquid in the respective containers, while the containers are on the exit feed path. The sensor produces a signal that is stored as data representing the level of liquid for the individual containers. The data is then tracked and used for valve optimization. A period of time that each individual valve is opened for subsequent fillings is adjusted based on the signal and the historical performance of each valve.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relategenerally to regulating the dispersion of liquid into a container. Morespecifically, the invention relates to detecting a level of the liquidin the container, so as to obtain data and appropriately adjust a valveused to regulate the flow of the liquid.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, the bottling of beverages, sauces, liquid spices, etc.,requires adjusting the bottling amount within a predetermined range. Forexample, it is known to regulate an amount of flow into a containerusing cam actuated filling valves, wherein containers are conveyed alongcircular path on a carrier, while being filled via nozzles that directfluid or other material contents downwardly into the containers. In sucha configuration, a carousel rotates to move the nozzles synchronouslywith the passing containers and the cam moves the nozzles downwardly toengage against or near the containers. Correct positioning with respectto a container and the rotational location of the carousel causes thefiller to discharge into the container. However, such a cam arrangementis susceptible to various types of mechanical wear and misadjustmentleading to inaccurate or inconsistent filling levels. In addition, askilled technician is needed to adjust, maintain, and calibrate asubstantial number of cam operated devices, which can result inincreased costs, lower productivity, and increased labor. Stopping tomake such mechanical adjustments or to change to a new filling job alsocontributes to additional down-time on the filling line, which is veryexpensive in terms of lost production.

It is also known in the industry to use so-called electric valve fillingmachines. In such machines, the filling valves are actuated electricallyinstead of mechanically. In most such machines, the valve is triggeredor controlled electrically while an actual motive force for moving thevalve into the actuated position is performed pneumatically. In mostcases, the air pressure is used to overcome a mechanical spring pressurein order to open the valve. When the air pressure is exhausted, thespring returns the valve to its closed position. To gain the long termfilling consistency that is required in the market, most such machinesrely upon an electronic flow control sensor to verify that the correctamount of liquid has passed through the valve and into the containersuch that the valve can then be closed. Conventional electric valvefilling machines have incorporated either volumetric flow sensors ormass flow sensors, depending on the type of liquid material being filledinto the containers and which technology is appropriate for sensing theparticular liquid. Typically, an electronic flow sensor is used at eachvalve. Because the flow sensors are relatively expensive, it becomes asubstantial expense to build machines that have the same number ofcostly flow sensors as filling valves.

In addition, apparatuses and methods have been proposed for detectingand controlling an amount of liquid during the filling process. Forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,161 discloses to fill bottles by sensing anappropriate time to shut a filling valve by using a camera to provideimage based monitoring of a container. The camera provides image data ofthe container while it is being filled and, on the basis of the observedimage data, a computer determines, in real-time, when to stop fillingeach container. However, this process requires a complex, closeintegration between the camera's findings and the valve controlelectronics to effect a precise shut-off. In addition, because thecamera is actually viewing the containers as they are being filled,turbulence is induced during the imaging period. If the turbulence isnot consistent or the system is lacking a means to correct for theturbulence, such image based monitoring could vary and be inaccurate.Also, the camera is not infinitely fast and must snap imagesperiodically. Even with present day cameras, there is an amount ofinaccuracy due to factors such as, illumination levels, camera scanspeed, image transmission rate, band-widths, image analysis time, andother latencies that necessarily occur inside a computer driven imagingsystem. This type of system must, by definition, have a large field ofview so it can take multiple images while the container passes throughthe field of the camera's view so the system can interpolate between theimages to determine when the valve should close. The inherently largerfield of view reduces systemic resolution since the number of pixels inthe camera is spread over a larger view area. The container isinherently viewed from different angles for each image snap which has adetrimental effect on the quality of the image. In effect, prior systemsrequire a larger or specially adapted light source, eliminate theability to have an optimum view angle and require hardware and/orsoftware to do additional algorithmic work to account for turbulence anddifferences in the scene.

It is also known to use a partial scan from a camera in order to reducethe time necessary to take the image and improve accuracy. However,measurements from the image are still limited by the speed of the cameraand require high speed electronic “hand-shaking” with valve controlelectronics, such that the system will not tolerate any level ofindeterminacies in the time that elapses from the initial image captureto sending a valve shut-off signal, resulting in increased expense andcomplexity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Illustrative, non-limiting embodiments of the present invention overcomethe disadvantages described above and other disadvantages. Also, thepresent invention is not required to overcome the disadvantagesdescribed above and the other disadvantages, and an illustrative,non-limiting embodiment of the present invention may not overcome any ofthe disadvantages.

An exemplary aspect of present invention is to provide a filling methodand device that is capable of adjusting flow amounts based on monitoringcurrent and/or past filling levels. It is an additional aspect toprovide a filling method and device which could be augmented by othersensory inputs, besides the fill levels, to improve filling performance.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a fillingapparatus including a carrier for transporting containers and at leastone valve which is opened for a period of time to control a flow ofliquid into the containers while the containers are transported by thecarrier. The invention may be implemented in machines that have morethan one valve, but it can be practiced with as few as one valve. Ingeneral, typical rotary filling machines may have from 20 to 180 valves,with the higher speed and higher production machines utilizing thelarger numbers of valves.

An exit feed path can be used to convey the containers after thecontainers have been filled and a sensor subsystem detects a level ofliquid in the containers, while the containers are on the exit feedpath, such that the sensor produces a signal which represents the levelof liquid and corresponds to each respective filling valve. A period oftime that each valve is opened for subsequent fillings may be adjustedbased on one or more such historical measurement signals.

In further accordance with the invention, information pertaining to thelevel of liquid in a first group of the containers is obtained by thesensor to adjust the period of time that the valve remains open, andinformation pertaining to the level of liquid in a second group of thecontainers, filled by a second valve, is obtained to adjust a period oftime that the respectively associated second valve remains open.

A further exemplary aspect of the invention provides a plurality ofvalves that are disposed to correspond to individual ones of thecontainers, such that sensor devices monitor the containers on the exitfeed path and produce data representing past performances of eachrespective valve of the plurality of valves, which is used to determinethe period of time that the plurality of valves respectively remain openfor subsequent fillings.

An additional exemplary aspect of the invention includes an entrancefeed path that leads the containers to the carrier, and at least oneadditional sensor positioned adjacent to the entrance feed path toobserve measured data about each container while on the entrance feedpath. The additional sensor is operative to determine a wide range offeatures, such as, for example, volumetric capacity of the containers,container type, and container temperature before the containers aredisposed on the carrier. It can also be used to detect flaws in thecontainers which may adversely affect the filling operation. Informationpertaining to the volumetric capacity or temperature may be utilized toinitially determine the period of time that the valve or respectivevalves remain open.

It is also contemplated that an exemplary embodiment of the inventionincludes a plurality of valves to fill the containers, and an encoderthat provides a signal stream that allows correlating the containers tothe respective valves, so that historical fill level data andperformance characteristics of each valve can be logged and tracked overa period of time. The period of time that the valves are opened forsubsequent fillings is accordingly adjusted based on the fill levelhistorical data. The sensor may obtain data from a plurality ofcontainers that were each filled by the corresponding valve to providehistoric data, such that a performance trend of the valve is provided topredict future performance of the valve. Further, additional data,besides the level of liquid, may be used to predict and adjust thefuture performance of the respective valves.

In accordance with an additional exemplary embodiment of the invention,a method of adjusting an amount of liquid that flows into a plurality ofcontainers is provided, including transporting the containers by acarrier and flowing liquid into the containers through a filling valve.An amount of liquid that flows into the containers is controlled whilethe containers are transported by the carrier. The amount of liquid iscontrolled by regulating a period of time that the filling valve remainsopen for flow. The containers are conveyed along an exit feed path afterthe containers have been filled, and a level of liquid in the containersis sensed while the containers are on the exit feed path to produce asignal which represents the level of liquid. Accordingly, the period oftime that the valve remains open for subsequent fillings is adjustedbased on the signal.

An additional exemplary embodiment of the invention provides a carrierfor transporting containers and means for controlling a period of timethat liquid flows into the containers, while the containers aretransported by the carrier. An exit feed path is provided which conveysthe containers after the containers have been filled. The exit feed pathmay include the last portion of the rotary travel of the carrier afterfilling as well as a run-out conveyor or another rotary or linearcarrier that transports the just filled container along its path to orthrough a subsequent machine or material handling operations. Alsoincluded is means for sensing a level of liquid in the containers whilethe containers are on the exit feed path, such that the means forsensing produces a signal which represents the level of liquid.Accordingly, the period of time is adjusted for subsequent fillingsbased on the signal.

An exemplary feature of the invention is the elimination of volumetricflow or mass flow control sensors at each individual valve. Such flow ormass control sensors dedicated to each valve are expensive and, inaccordance with the present invention, can be replaced by a valve thatopens and closes based on a timing recipe, rather than a sensor thatactually measures a volumetric fluid amount. This is an economicaladvantage because flow control sensors are relatively expensive and themore sophisticated mass flow sensors are even more costly. Therefore,the present invention is able to eliminate the flow sensors in favor ofanother technology which can potentially provide additionalfunctionality and substantial cost savings.

The integrated sensing and filling system of the present invention maynot only replace the basic function of the flow control sensors, but canbe implemented to provide other inspections that are also useful. Forexample, an exemplary embodiment of the sensing system can provideinspection for cap placement, cap integrity, tamper-band integrity,label presence, and similar inspections, as part of its extendedfunctionality.

An additional feature of the present invention reduces an occurrence ofa single anomaly that causes an incorrect valve setting change. This isaccomplished by looking at a statistically significant number ofmeasurements before a change is made in a timing recipe or a fillingtime period. By looking at enough filled bottles to provide astatistically significant sampling, the mean, standard deviation andstatistical trends for each valve can be determined with a highconfidence level and the system can then correct the timing recipeaccordingly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above aspects and features of the present invention will become moreapparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof withreference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a liquid filling machine and sensor according toan exemplary embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 2 a and 2 b are cross sections of exemplary valves taken alongline A-A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a machine vision sensingconfiguration, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a machine vision sensingconfiguration, according to another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a machine vision sensingconfiguration, according to a further embodiment;

FIG. 6 is perspective view showing a sensor and a plurality ofcontainers according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram representing a method according to an exemplaryembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram representing a further method according to anexemplary embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a top view of a filling machine 10 having a rotatable carrieror carousel 12 for transporting containers 14. A wide variety ofcontainers may be used in the present apparatuses and methods, such asglass, plastic, metal, paperboard or the like. For example, theapparatuses and methods may be used to measure liquids or granular solidmaterials, such as fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals or foodstuffs, ormaterials comprising solids suspended in liquids. The containersthemselves can also vary widely in size and shape and may have the formof, for example, drums, carboys, flasks, cartons, jars, cans, andbottles. However, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention isintended for use with containers containing liquids and, accordingly,the detailed description of the processes hereinafter will mainly bewith reference to such bottles of liquid, since the necessarymodifications of the apparatus and method for use with other types ofcontainers and contents will be readily apparent to those skilled in thecontainer handling and filling art.

The incoming containers 14 move on an input path or conveyor 18 and arepicked up by the carrier 12 in a traditional manner, such as a feed starwheel. Electrically controllable valves 20 are positioned above thecarrier 12 to regulate the flow of liquid into the containers 14 basedon a filling recipe and remain with the containers 14 while they arerotated around a center vertical axis in either a clockwise or acounter-clockwise direction by the carrier 12. As used herein, the term“recipe” may represent a timing configuration use to regulate flow offluid into the containers 14.

It will be appreciated that the carrier 12 can rotate in any directiondepending on the device's configuration and manufacturing plant layoutconsiderations. FIGS. 2 a and 2 b show exemplary valves 20 a and 20 bwhich are consistent with the present invention. Valve 20 a is used withproducts that do not include carbonation and do not directly contact thecontainers 14. Valve 20 b is suitable for use with carbonated productsand includes a sealing device 21 that contacts the containers 14 andmaintains pressure between a nozzle of the valve 20 b and the containers14. The containers 14 are positioned to have their open tops facing uptoward the filling valves 20 a and 20 b, such that the valves 20 a and20 b are located above the containers 14 and are axially aligned withthe containers 14 for the purpose of filling in a conventional manner.

The valves 20 a and 20 b are typically brought into intimate contactwith containers 14 or to a position very close to the containers 14 by arotary cam operated mechanism so that an accurate timing can be providedfor a wide range of containers that may be filled by the machine. Thevalves 20 a and 20 b fill the containers 14, via a conduit 22 thatsupplies the product, on the basis of a precisely controlled elapsedtime for each filling valve 20 a and 20 b. Compressed air is introducedthrough an input 25 and is used to move internal plungers of the valves20 a and 20 b to start and stop the flow of the product. The valves 20 aand 20 b in general may be electrically controlled through solenoidvalves, while being air actuated.

The valves 20 do not necessarily need to be electric valves in order topractice the present invention. However, the valves 20 should beelectrically “controllable” in some form to provide a practicalapplication. Alternatively, the valves 20 could be electric or hydraulicservo controlled and may have an infinite amount of fill flow rateadjustment that provides for a wide range of filling rate profiles. Thevalves 20 could also take the form of an electrically or servo adjustedcam, driving a mechanically operated valve, such that the valves 20 canrespond to electrically communicated changes for adjusting the camtiming periods, cam actuation shapes, or the cam durations.

In an exemplary embodiment, two-position conventional electricalsolenoid-operated valves are utilized. Such valves 20 will usually havea high flow position and a low flow position and each position may haveits own solenoid operation coil. While being filled, the containers 14pass through a high flow rate section 23 and a low flow rate section 24.The times that the respective valves 20 are open for high speed fillingand low speed filling are adjusted by sensing previous fill levels andutilizing the valves' 20 respective electronics and software on thebasis of each valves' 20 historical performance, current sensing data,and trending. As will be appreciated, the flow rate could alternativelybe such that it continuously increases from its beginning to end.

An electronic timing device associated with the valve configuration maybe used to shift the valve from the high volume flow position to the lowvolume flow position, such that the high volume flow and low flow volumeare maintained for a predetermined amount of time, and can trigger anend to the flow to complete the filling procedure. There may be aseparate elapsed time for the high volume filling section 23 and aseparate elapsed time for the low volume section 24. The elapsed timethat the valve 20 is opened may only need to be periodically adjusted inaccordance with the results of the detected liquid levels.Alternatively, the valve recipe may be defined and controlled on thebasis of encoder ticks or precise rotary positioning if this applicationprovides an advantage for a particular implementation of the invention.With such an implementation, the rotational speed (radians per second)of the filler carrier should be monitored and controlled more preciselyfor satisfactory results.

When it is detected that a sufficient amount of fluid has been suppliedat the high flow rate, the valves 20 are shifted by an electroniccontrol device to a second or slow fill position. The electronic controldevice could range from a dedicated electronic board that is locatednear the respective valves 20, for a fast response, to a conventionalprogrammable logic controller (PLC), which has been configured toperform this function, as discussed in more detail below. Variousconfigurations can be utilized including, for example, controllingmultiple valves 20 with a single PLC. Careful configuration controlshould be adhered to so that the PLC based control architecture andsoftware can maintain timing precision and repeatability that will yieldsatisfactory filling results consistency. This can vary substantiallybased on the machine design, speed of filling, and the systemicresponsivity.

The valves 20 may be dual conventional solenoid coils or a double woundcoil, for example. Each coil portion of the solenoid is fed anelectrical current to actuate the solenoid to each of the valves' twopositions. As the valves 20 are electrically shifted to the secondposition, they throttle flow at the slow pace for a duration around thecarousel 12 and, as the containers 14 near their proper fill level, thevalves 20 provide the flow at a more precisely controlled slow pace inthe low flow rate section 24.

In an exemplary embodiment, the “on” point to open a valve 20 may be setto start at a precise time while the container is in the high volumeflow section 23 and the “off” point may be in the low volume fillsection 24. The particular on/off instructions may be calculated byalgorithms stored in a computer, which are chosen to optimize thefilling times to produce accurate amounts of fluid in the containers 14.The variables used by the algorithms are based on the liquid levels ofthe filled containers 14 so that subsequent filling amounts can becalibrated.

After the valves 20 are shut off completely, they will usually retractsmoothly by a rotary cam operated mechanism from their intimate fillingposition with the containers 14. The filled containers 14 will generallyexit the filling section and enter a capper or seamer section to have anappropriate type of closure installed, depending on the container style.

A sensor or camera 28, which is discussed in more detail below, isprovided along an exit feed path “B” to form part of a vision basedsensing system that captures an image of each container 14 which hasexcited the carrier 12, to determine a level of liquid in the containers14, as they move along, or are stopped on, a conveyor 26. It will beappreciated that the exit feed monitored by the camera 28 may includethe area B through the latter portion of the rotary travel of thecarrier 12 after filling, as well as the conveyor 26, or other run-outconveyor or another rotary or linear carrier that transports the justfilled container along its path to a subsequent machine or materialhandling operations. The sensor 28 images the containers 14 after theyhave been filled and have exited the carrier 12 so that subsequentfilling times can be adjusted based on the sensed liquid levels. Thefilling time instructions or recipe for each different filling valvewill likely be unique. An additional sensor or camera 30 can also beprovided along the input path 18 to observe the containers 14 beforebeing filled with liquid.

The sensor 28 is operative to correlate an individual container 14 onthe output conveyor 26 or the exit feed path B to the valve 20 thatprovided fluid to that particular container 14. The container 14 can becorrelated to its particular filling valve 20 in any known manner. Forexample, indexing signals may be used with an encoder or the sensor toallow the system to correlate each inspection to the respective fillingvalve. Also, since the filling valves 20 are assigned a number, as eachcontainer 14 passes the sensor 28, its valve number is placed intomemory along with the level of liquid in the sensed container 14.Therefore, as each container 14 is imaged by the sensor 28, the valvenumber is extracted from memory and associated with the liquid level andany other sensory information that has been logged. The vision systemincluding the sensor 28 functions to observe the containers 14 and,thus, learn the performance of each individual valve 20 so as to updatethe filling recipe periodically.

The sensor 28, shown in FIG. 1, is disposed just outside the carrier 12,after an exit point 29, but may be placed at any point after whichfilling is complete. A location may be chosen which minimizes theeffects of vibration, turbulence, centrifugal forces, and other forcesthat may act on the liquid level in the bottle. By having the sensor 28focused on the fill area of a single bottle it is possible to obtainhigh levels of resolution combined with a refined illumination toproduce a high quality image, such that the system can employsophisticated algorithms for monitoring each valve's 20 performance.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a system consistent with the presentinvention that incorporates the sensor 28 and a container 14 positionedadjacent thereto. The image of the container 14 acquired by the sensor28 is stored in a memory of a computer or processor 34 that performsfunctions, such as internal data calculations and determining a volumeof the fluid in the containers 14. The sensor 28 has a field of viewwhich includes a surface 36 of the container's liquid 35 plus a bufferboth above and below the nominal fill level which is large enough toaccount for the variation in fill level that the system may tolerate.Accordingly, the sensor 28 is operative to detect an amount of fluid 35in the container 14 by detecting the fluid's level 36 and sending theimage information via an input signal line 37, in the form of electronicdata, to the processor or computer 34 for storage and analysis. Theanalysis determines the liquid fill level 36 and determines if it is ina normal range of variation that is acceptable. The processor 34evaluates the sensed level in light of previous readings andmathematically determines the mean and standard deviation of suchreadings. The processor 34 also calculates the confidence level and anappropriate statistically significant sample size that is needed toprovide a sufficient number of liquid level 36 readings, before making achange to the timing recipe for the particular valve 20 corresponding tothe sampled readings. Thereafter, the processor 34 provides an outputsignal along data line 38 to a PLC 40 that compiles a calculated timeadjustment 41 for the valve 20. As shown, three valves 20, 20′ and 20″are illustrated for the purpose of this description. However, a typicalfilling machine would include many more valves. In an exemplaryembodiment, the PLC 40 then sends an “on” or “off” electric signal 43,43′ and 43″ to air solenoid valve 42, 42′ and 42″, which arerespectively plumbed to the filling valves 20, 20′ and 20″ responsiblefor filling the sensed container 14, 14′ and 14″ to send compressed airinto the appropriate valves 20, 20′ and 20″ via the input lines 25, 25′and 25″ to fill subsequent containers with an updated time recipe 41corresponding to the particular valves 20, 20′ and 20″. Depending on theprocessor's 34 configuration, it may include a display for graphicallyillustrating the obtained data and for adjusting fill level settingsgraphically. It will also be appreciated that the processor 34 and thePLC 40 could be incorporated into one device which performs the desiredprocedure.

By repeatedly measuring the fluid levels 36 of the containers 14, 14′and 14″ that are sequentially filled by the same valve, the historicattributes of the valves 20, 20′ and 20″ can be obtained to providetrend data. For example, it can be observed whether a particular valvestays open too long or not long enough. It can also observe therepeatability of each valve by way of the resultant filling consistencyand standard deviation from the mean. It can then be determined whethera flow adjustment needs to be made in the high flow section 23 or thelow flow section 24.

Based on the measured results of the liquid levels 36, the processor 34and the PLC 40 can provide an instruction to adjust the elapsed timethat the valves 20 remain open during the filling procedure. Theprocessor 34 maintains the historical database of liquid levels 36corresponding to the performance of each valve 20, 20′ and 20″. Becausethe present elapsed filling times are known, in addition to the liquidlevels produced by the present filling times, the system can makeaccurate recommendations to change the elapsed times that the valves 20,20′ and 20″ remain open, so as to continuously improve the accuracy ofthe filling procedure. For example, if a particular valve is shown to beover filling or under filling based on mathematical statisticsincluding, for example, mean and standard deviation calculations, for acertain sampling of containers 14, 14′ and 14″, the valve opening timemay be appropriately shortened or lengthened depending on the desiredcorrections. An exemplary sampling amount may include between 40-60containers 14, 14′ and 14″ that are filled by the same valve, and theamount of valve timing change may be a factor of milliseconds.

The sensing or imaging of the liquid level may be implemented with arange of technologies, including non-contact technologies, for example,but not limited to, radio frequency sensors, ultrasonic sensors, electrooptical sensors, x-ray sensors, laser scanners, infra-red sensors,capacitive sensors and the like. The particular application, types ofmaterial out of which the container 14 is manufactured, and the costpracticality of the implementation may dictate which one is mostapplicable for a particular filling application.

In an exemplary embodiment, the imaging system including the camera orsensor 28 could utilize a machine vision configuration with a strobedbacklighting source. The camera 28 would snap an image when a partdetection sensor indicates the presence of the filled container 14 at aparticular position appropriate for inspection. An encoder or resolver,operative from an area near the conveyor 26 or exit feed path B, couldthen indicate the progress of the container 14 until it is in anappropriate position for imaging. At that point, an electronic subsystemor computer 34 would prepare the camera 28 to capture the image, while astrobed backlighting is triggered to provide an illumination pulse whichfreezes the movement of the container 14 for an instant while the imageis taken. An alternative to the strobing of the backlight is to use acontinuously “on” light source and electronically shutter the camera ata high speed to provide a near equivalent image capture scheme. It isalso possible to use a technique called smeared imaging which can havecertain advantages as well as drawbacks. With this technique, the camerashutter is purposely held open when the container is in the field ofview. The resultant image is a smear of the vertical contrast asintegrated over the time that the container is traveling horizontallythrough the image. If the smear window is chosen carefully, for someapplications, this provides a sort of averaging that may be advantageousin reducing the amount of image processing requirement. The challengewith this technique is that contrast may be too suppressed forrobustness in the inspection.

A backlit image may also be used which provides a combination image thatis part silhouette and partly a “light transmission image” in which theliquid absorbs more light than the unfilled top portion of the container14. The “fill line” is then clearly visible and is further amplified andmore visible because of the refraction of the light caused by themeniscus at the interface of the liquid with the glass with the airspace above it.

The captured image is read out of the camera 28 and transmitted intoimage processor electronics of the computer 34. The image is thenanalyzed using algorithms, which may be particularly designed into thesoftware of the computer 34, for the purpose of determining the filllevel 36 from the image data. For example, the image processingalgorithm in the computer can compare the contrast as vertical linesthat are traced from the region of the image that should definitely beliquid 35 up through the transitional zone where the liquid interfaceswith the air and then into the air space. By doing this in the desirednumber of locations in the measurement region, it is reasonable todetermine a numerical average that is representative of the liquid level36. Upon determination of the fill level 36, further algorithms are usedthat are designed to analyze how the currently measured fill level 36compares to fill levels 36 of containers 14 that have been measuredpreviously to provide historical data and to derive various aspects oftrending data. The trending data can be used to predict maintenanceschedules and impending failure modes. For example, the system may beable to ascertain that a particular valve 20 is performing in anincreasingly erratic way. This may indicate a sticking solenoid or valvepoppet. The historical data is then used to update the respectivefilling valve actuation times to obtain optimum filling results.

Additional aspects can be implemented to improve the accuracy of fluidlevel readings under differing conditions. For example, it is possibleto use different wavelengths of light, whether in the visible or thenon-visible portions of the spectrum, to provide a better contrast and,therefore, better measurements. U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,084 teaches theadvantages of wavelength specific illumination systems that can usedifferent combinations and permutations of wavelengths from differingangles to highlight and increase contrast as desired, the disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated, in its entirety, by reference. It may beadvantageous under some applications to use a wavelength specificillumination system to help improve the measurements that are pertinentto proper filling valve optimization. For example, some darker coloredbottles, like amber, may be difficult to illuminate with normal visiblebacklight sources, but are readily penetrated with near infraredillumination. At the same time, a green bottle is penetrated nearly aswell as an amber bottle and its grey scale image does not show asubstantially higher contrast than the amber bottle. By using acombination of light wavelengths, it is possible to not only betterdetect the correct fill level, but also to detect if an incorrect colorbottle has been filled.

It is also possible to use a similar technique with chosen wavelengthsto analyze foam differently than a dense liquid product. For example, itmay be determined empirically that 25 mm of dense foam equals 10 mm ofliquid, while 25 mm of low density foam may only be the equivalent 4 mmof the same liquid. Such a correlation may be made by reference to alook-up table.

The filling time periods for each valve may be even further optimizedbeyond an initial timing determination. For example, the additionalcamera or input sensor 30, shown in FIG. 1, can also detect a containerthat is larger or smaller in volume than a nominal specification, suchthat the actuation time of the corresponding valve 20 can be adjustedproactively to obtain a correct fill amount. As will be appreciated, itsometimes may be appropriate to fill the containers by delivering apredetermined volumetric amount or it may be appropriate to fill to ameasured fill line. The actual dimensions of the container 14 candirectly affect both of these approaches. Therefore, the use of theinput sensor 30 for inspecting incoming containers can be useful ineither situation. These and other features herein described cancontribute to an implementation of an adaptive, self learning, and“smart” filling machine.

In further accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, information sensed by the additional sensor pertaining tocontainer type, size, model, design, or style can be used to triggeraccess to a database that has historical setting filling recipes foreach respective valve 20 for filling that specific container. Such apre-filling, or ingoing sensory system, using the input sensor 30 can beuseful in setting up the system automatically, with little or no humanoperator attention.

The input sensor 30 may also be operative to identify incorrectcontainers so that a particular valve in the filling system is heldclosed and the incorrect container is not filled at all, or so that itis rejected after filling. Thus, an incorrect container, whether filledor empty, can be subsequently rejected from the stream of containers asa proactive measure.

The processor 34 may include a programmable logic controller (PLC) orthey may be separate devices, as shown in FIG. 3, with each having acentral processing unit (CPU) and an input/output interface. In theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 3, the processor 34 calculates and controlsthe timing recipes and sends them to the PLC 40 via communications linkfor storage and execution. The input/output interfaces facilitatecommunications between the processor 34, the sensors (i.e., input), thePLC 40 and the valves 20 (i.e., outputs).

In operation, the processor 34 reads input data from the sensor 28 andthen “executes” or performs a control program using the algorithms foroptimizing the valves' 20, 20′ and 20″ timing. Based on the algorithms,the PLC 40 updates the elapsed time instructions for the valves 20, 20′and 20″ via the output interfaces.

As an alternative to using a PLC 40 for the valve firing, electronicboards 39, 39′ and 39″ connected to the data line 38 can be dedicated toa number of valves 20, 20′ and 20″, as shown in FIG. 4. The shownconfiguration includes one electronic board per valve, but multiplevalves could be controlled by a single electronic board. Each suchelectronic board 39. 39′ and 39″ would be responsible for executing thetimed on and off sequence for both slow and fast coils of the valves 20,20′ and 20″ and would perform this repetitive duty for each of thevalves 20, 20′ and 20″ that it is dedicated to controlling. The valves20, 20′ and 20″ could receive a trigger signal from a photocell or othersimilar devices known in the art indicating when each filling valve 20,20′ and 20″ has passed a certain point in the rotation of the carrousel12. The electronic boards 39, 39′ and 39″ would then fire or execute atime recipe, to the respective valves 20, 20′ and 20″, which is held inits non-volatile memory. Periodically, as needed, each such electronicboard 39, 39′ and 39″ could send new triggering recipes for each of itsvalves 20, 20′ and 20″ based on the fill level sensing measurements.Such dedicated electronic boards 39, 39′ and 39″ would typically becapable of accurately and repeatedly executing a precise firing timingthat would facilitate optimization of the filling. FIG. 5 represents anexemplary embodiment using the PLC 40 and the electronic board 39together. The PLC 40 and electronic board 39 act together to provide asignal for controlling the valve 20. For the sake of simplicity, onlyone electronic board 39 is shown. However, in use, multiple electronicboards 39 could be used to control multiple valves 20.

In general, it may not be necessary to communicate to each valve 20 foreach individual filling procedure because the control electronics of thevalves 20 should accurately provide repeatable elapsed times for therespective valves 20. The system will periodically update the elapsedtimes as needed to maintain accurate fluid levels though multiplefillings over a period of time. As will be appreciated, there arevariances in the responsiveness and performance between different valves20. However, the most frequently changing component of the valve's 20variable attributes may be the elapsed filling times, which are sampledand analyzed to optimize fill levels.

A situation that should be avoided when sampling and adjusting thevalves 20 is known as valve setting “hunting”. “Hunting or oscillation”phenomenon is understood in many fields, such as classical PID(Proportional-Integral-Derivative Control) theory and/or mathematicalstatistical sampling theory. It is a circumstance whereby an adjustmentis made, which is not correct, followed by a further adjustment, whichis also not correct. In effect, the system goes into a loop ofcorrections, never finding a stabilized adjustment. By way of example,suppose an adjustment appears to be required to the valve “on-time,”based on previously gathered measurements, but the timing adjustmentrecommended by the system is based on one or more inaccuratemeasurements. Because the recommended change is based on inaccuratemeasurements, the change is based on the wrong input. The valve,however, faithfully executes its filling time with the new lengthened orshortened setting. Subsequently, as new measurements of the fill levelare made, it is again recognized that the fill level has been improperlyadjusted. A new adjustment is then required which may also be based onan inaccurate measurement and may similarly assign an improper value. Asthis type of flawed adjusting continues, it is possible to create acontinual “hunting” or oscillation situation which does not promoteoptimized valve settings for the filling machine. Therefore, astatistically significant change should be reliably detected by way ofthe chosen statistically significant sample size before a change in thevalve triggering timing is warranted. Thus, although it is possible topractice this invention using single measurements of the fill level, itis not recommended for most optimized results.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the sensor 28 positioned approximate tothe containers 14 so as to analyze the fluid level of multiplecontainers 14 at one time. The operation of the sensor 28 and computer34 in this embodiment is similar to that of FIGS. 3-5, except for dataof multiple containers is obtained at one time. It will be appreciatedthat the embodiments of FIGS. 3-5 may similarly sense multiplecontainers simultaneously. The sensor 28 can work in conjunction with abacklight 44, which may be strobed and extends the length of an areaencompassing the sensed containers 14. The data obtained by the sensor28 is then transferred to the computer 34 for analysis and, in a mannersimilar to that described above, the derived information is manipulatedto provide fill time instructions to the respective filling valves 20.

In a further embodiment, dimensional measurements of the containers 14are obtained by the additional sensor or camera 30, shown in FIG. 1,prior to the filling operation. From the measured dimensions, thevolumetric capacity of individual containers 14 could be calculated bythe computer 34 where further intelligence is applied to modulate thefilling recipes accordingly. The volumetric calculation can be used topoint to a particular filling recipe, from a selection included in alook-up table, provided in the valve's electronics or the computer 34,for example. This process can be more efficient than transmitting acompletely new filling recipe for each bottle and could result in moreprecise filling levels for certain types of bottles. For example, it isknown that certain types of bottles have a much greater level ofmanufacturing variation than other types, such that this additionalfeature could be useful to extend the basic functionality of the smart,vision-based filling system.

It is contemplated that there are many other aspects that the system canlearn and incorporate in the performance history for each valve besidesthe filling times. Accordingly, to affect a reliable and consistentfilling in an exemplary embodiment of the invention, it is beneficialthat other parameters of the filling machine, besides the filling times,be held to tightly controlled levels. For example, the pressure of thefilling liquid should be consistent so that it does not create anothervariable that affects the system.

Therefore, additional aspects of learning and acquiring feedback may beutilized. A number of data aspects could be used to more preciselycharacterize each valve's performance over time. In an exemplaryembodiment, the computer 34 could become a central repository forsensory data input which would relate to overall filling performance.For example, additional data such as temperature, pressure, valvecurrent signature, flow rates at other points in the machine, and manyother pieces of data could be incorporated into the historicalperformance chart. One could, therefore, use this information tomathematically project performance in the future and could incorporatethe information into a learning neural network which would predictperformance, enhance filling repeatability, and predict machinemaintenance as well.

Contact sensing technology may be used which weighs the filled container14 to provide historical data. For example, the weight of a currentlymeasured filled container 14 could be compared with past measurements toprovide historical data used to evaluate and determine optimum fillingvalve actuation durations and settings.

Moreover, the containers 14 may be sensed from multiple differentdirections and angles to get different views. This sensing may apply tothe “pre-look” (unfilled container) which is carried out by the cameraor sensor 30 as well as the “post-look” (filled container) which may becarried out by the camera or sensor 28. This feature is useful forprospectively determining the exact size (volume) of each bottle thatwill be or has been filled. Various types of sensor technologies couldbe used for performing this procedure such as, for example, the masssensing technology described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,872,895, which is herebyincorporated in its entirety by reference.

FIG. 7 represents a flow chart of an exemplary method of the invention.The process begins with transporting the containers 14 by the carrier 12(S100). The liquid is then dispensed into the containers 14 through thefilling valve 20 (S110), such that the flow is controlled bymanipulating the precise amount of time that each filling valve 20remains open (S120). The containers 14 are then conveyed along the exitfeed path B after they have exited the carrier 12 (S130), such that thelevel 36 of liquid in the containers 14 is detected to produce a signal(S140). After the level of liquid 36 is sensed, data is gathered and,when needed, a period of time that the valve remains open for subsequentfillings is adjusted (S150).

The flow of liquid into a plurality of the containers 14 is controlledusing separate filling valves 20, such that data is collected torepresent the level of liquid 36 provided by the separate valves 20.Based on the data, the period of time that each of the separate valves20 remains open for subsequent fillings can be adjusted. It will beappreciated that the levels of liquid in a single container or, morepreferably, but not necessarily, multiple containers, may be detectedbefore making an adjustment, even when the levels of liquid are notconsistent between the multiple containers, as long as the detectedlevels are within an acceptable range. By providing the entrance feedpath 18 to the carrier 12, the containers 14 can be preliminarilyobserved by the input sensor 30 to determine the volumetric capacity ofthe containers before the containers are disposed on the carrier.

FIG. 8 represents a method according to a further exemplary embodimentthat incorporates pre-fill sensing, using the camera or sensor 30 shownin FIG. 1, for example. Operations of FIG. 8 are similar to those in ofFIG. 7, while further including an operation which detects physicalattributes and/or specifications of the containers using a pre-fillsensor or camera (S102). After the containers are viewed by the pre-fillsensor or camera, access is made to a database to obtain stored fillingrecipe information corresponding to the detected container (S104).Therefore, predetermined elapsed times for the valves 20 can beinitially used, which may then be adjusted based on the data gathered bythe sensor 28, and/or sensor 30, or provided by other sensory inputs.

The method also contemplates utilizing all other additional aspects ofthe invention discussed above, including the aspects of learning andacquiring feedback. For example, the method may include using a numberof data aspects to more precisely characterize each valve's performanceover time and use the computer 34 as the central repository for sensorydata input that would relate to overall filling performance.

Inaccuracy in the sensing or measuring of the liquid may be inevitablebecause of waves, ripples, turbulence, foam, bubbles, sloshing and otherdisturbances that occur at the liquid to air interface at the top of theliquid, which has just been filled, into the container 14. To improvesuch disturbances, a length of the output conveyor 26 may be provided toallow for some settling time before the liquid is measured by the sensor28.

Another contributor to inaccurate measurements of a fill level includesa range of normal process variations in the containers 14 themselves.For example, the container 14 can have bubbles or blisters in a sidewallthrough which the sensor 26 must view. Because of the nature of glass orplastic containers, this causes an anomalous refraction or reflectionthat can change the image from which the measurement is made. Many othersimilarly detrimental anomalies, such as ridges or partially chokednecks can cause inaccurate measurements. Therefore, the various types ofsensors and cameras described above, along with an appropriate samplingamount, should be taken into consideration based on the particularfilling application.

The previous description of the exemplary embodiments is provided toenable a person skilled in the art to make and use the presentinvention. Moreover, various modifications to these embodiments will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principlesand specific examples defined herein may be applied to other embodimentswithout the use of inventive faculty. Therefore, the present inventionis not intended to be limited to the embodiments described herein, butis to be accorded the widest scope as defined by the limitations of theclaims and equivalents thereof.

1. A filling apparatus, said filling apparatus comprising: a carrier fortransporting containers; a plurality of electrically controllablevalves, each of which is opened for a period of time to fill a firstgroup of said containers respectively with a liquid, while saidcontainers are transported by said carrier; an exit feed path whichconveys said containers after said containers have been filled; at leastone sensor which detects a level of liquid in said containers, whilesaid containers are on said exit feed path, such that said sensorproduces respective signals which represent the level of liquid in eachsaid first group of containers; said plurality of electricallycontrollable valves are configured so that the period of time that saidplurality of electrically controllable valves are individually opened isadjusted for subsequent fillings based on said signals corresponding tosaid first group of said containers; and said electrically controllablevalves have a high flow position to provide an adjustable period of highflow and a low flow position to provide an adjustable period of lowflow, in order that times that the electrically controllable valves stayopen for the period of high flow and for the period of low flow areadjusted based on said signals, wherein the level of liquid in multiplecontainers filled by one of said electrically controllable valves isdetected by said sensor before adjusting said period of high flow andsaid period of low flow.
 2. The filling apparatus of claim 1, whereinsaid electrically controllable valves are electric servo valves whichallow control that provides more than two filling speeds.
 3. The fillingapparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of valves are provided tocorrespond to individual ones of said containers, such that said sensormonitors said containers on said exit feed path and produces datarepresenting past performances of each of the plurality of said valves,which is used to determine individually the period of time that theplurality of valves each remain open for the subsequent fillings.
 4. Thefilling apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor is astationary camera and a respective illumination source positioned toobserve said containers in said exit feed path, and said exit feed pathis a path that the containers, which have been filled, follow afterfilling and after the valve has been shut off.
 5. The filling apparatusof claim 1, wherein said sensor communicates with a processor whichreceives said signals and controls said period of time that each of saidplurality of electrically controllable valves are kept open.
 6. Theapparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an entrance feed paththat leads said containers to said carrier, and at least one auxiliarysensor positioned adjacent to said entrance feed path to observe saidcontainers while on said entrance feed path, said auxiliary sensor isoperative to determine a volumetric capacity of said containers beforesaid containers are disposed on said carrier for filling.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 6, wherein information pertaining to said volumetriccapacity is utilized to initially determine the period of timeindividually that each of said electrically controllable valves remainopen.
 8. (canceled)
 9. The filling apparatus of claim 4, wherein theillumination source is comprised of solid state devices and is equippedto produce more than one wavelength.
 10. The filling apparatus of claim1, wherein the level of liquid in multiple containers, filled by one ofsaid electrically controllable valves, is detected by said sensor beforeadjusting said period of time that said one of said electricallycontrollable valves is opened, even when the levels of liquid are notconsistent between said multiple containers.
 11. The filling apparatusof claim 1, further comprising: one of an encoding device and adetection sensor that facilitates associating the containersrespectively to said valves, so that fill level data of each of saidvalves can be tracked over a period of time, wherein said period of timethat said valves are opened for the subsequent fillings, is adjustedbased on said tracked fill level data.
 12. The filling apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein said sensor obtains data from said plurality ofcontainers to provide historic data for said valves, such that aperformance trend of each of said valves is provided to predict futureperformance of said valves.
 13. The filling apparatus of claim 5,wherein said processor utilizes an algorithm to determine whether saidelectrically controllable valves should be adjusted.
 14. The fillingapparatus of claim 5, wherein said processor utilizes an algorithm todetermine at least one of how, and how much to adjust the period of timethat said valves are opened.
 15. The filling apparatus of claim 1,further including a timing device which regulates said period of timethat each of said valves remain open so as to fill a predeterminedamount of said liquid into said containers, said timing device beingcapable of being periodically updated to new regulation times based onsignals from said at least one sensor.
 16. The filling apparatus ofclaim 12, wherein additional data besides the level of liquid is used topredict the future performance of each of said respective valves. 17.The filling apparatus of claim 16, wherein said additional data includesat least one of temperature of the liquid, pressure of the liquid,ambient temperature, container mass, container shape, container wallthicknesses, container volume, liquid flow rates, machine speed, andvalve current.
 18. The filling apparatus of claim 1, wherein saidcarrier is rotatable.
 19. The filling apparatus of claim 6, wherein saidat least one auxiliary sensor is an electronic camera.
 20. The fillingapparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor senses levels ofliquid in a plurality of said containers simultaneously.
 21. A method ofadjusting an amount of liquid that flows into a plurality of containers,the method comprising: transporting the containers by a carrier; flowingliquid respectively through a plurality of filling valves into thecontainers; controlling an amount of liquid that flows into thecontainers while the containers are transported by the carrier, theamount of liquid being controlled by electrically opening the pluralityof filling valves for a predetermined period of time; conveying thecontainers along an exit feed path after the containers have beenfilled; sensing a level of liquid in the containers while the containersare on the exit feed path to produce signals which represent the levelof liquid in the containers, respectively; adjusting the predeterminedperiod of time that each of the plurality of filling valves remain openfor subsequent fillings based on the signals; and maintaining thefilling valves open for a period of high flow and for a period of lowflow, wherein the adjusting includes adjusting the time the valves stayopen for the period of high flow based on the signals and adjusting thetime that the valves stay open for the period of low flow based on thesignals, and wherein the level of liquid in multiple containers filledby one of the filling valves is sensed before adjusting the time thevalves stay open for the period of high flow and the period of low flow.22. The filling method of claim 21, further comprising: obtaininginformation pertaining to the level of liquid in a first group of thecontainers, filled by a first of said plurality of filling valves, tocontrol the period of time that liquid flows into containers that are tobe filled subsequently; and obtaining information pertaining to thelevel of liquid in a second group of the containers, filled by a secondof said plurality of said filling valves, to control a period of timethat liquid flows into containers that are to be filled subsequently bythe second filling valve.
 23. The filling method of claim 21, furthercomprising collecting data which separately represents the level ofliquid provided by each of the separate valves; and determining theperiod of time that each of the valves respectively remain open forsubsequent fillings based on the data.
 24. The filling method of claim21, further comprising providing at least one stationary electroniccamera to perform said sensing.
 25. The filling method of claim 21,further comprising providing a processor to receive the signals andcontrol the period of time that the liquid flows into each of thecontainers.
 26. The method of claim 21, further comprising: providing anentrance feed path that leads the containers to the carrier, andobserving the containers while on the entrance feed path to determine avolumetric capacity of the containers before the containers are filled.27. The method of claim 26, further comprising initially determining theperiod of time that the liquid flows into the containers respectivelybased on at least one of the volumetric capacity and historical data ofthe filling valves.
 28. (canceled)
 29. (canceled)
 30. The method ofclaim 21, further comprising detecting the levels of liquid in multiplecontainers filled by a corresponding one of the plurality of valvesbefore adjusting the period of time that the corresponding valve remainsopen, even when the levels of liquid are not consistent between themultiple containers.
 31. The method of claim 23, further comprising:correlating the containers to the valves which respectively provided theflow of the liquid into the containers, tracking historical datapertaining to the level of liquid in the containers over a period oftime, and as required, adjusting the time that each of said plurality ofvalves remains open based on the historical data which is tracked. 32.The method of claim 31, further comprising predicting future flow ratesof the liquid through each of the plurality of valves based on thehistorical sensor data which is tracked.
 33. The method of claim 25,further comprising utilizing an algorithm to determine whether theperiod of time that each of the plurality of valves stays open should beadjusted for subsequent fillings.
 34. The method of claim 25, furthercomprising utilizing an algorithm to determine how much to adjust theperiod of time that each of the plurality of valves remains open. 35.The method of claim 21, further comprising obtaining additional data,besides the liquid level, to predict when and how much to adjust theperiod of time respectively that the plurality of valves remain open forsubsequent fillings.
 36. The method of claim 35, wherein the additionaldata includes at least one of temperature of the liquid, pressure of theliquid, valve current signature, ambient temperature, containertemperature, container mass, container shape, container wall thickness,container volume, liquid flow rates, machine speed, and fill reservoirlevels.
 37. The method of claim 21, wherein the containers are rotatablytransported by the carrier.
 38. The method of claim 21, furthercomprising sensing the levels of liquid in more than one of saidplurality of containers substantially simultaneously.
 39. A fillingapparatus, said filling apparatus comprising: a carrier for transportingcontainers; means for electrically controlling a period of time thatliquid flows into said containers, while said containers are transportedby said carrier; an exit feed path which conveys said containers aftersaid containers have been filled; and means for sensing a level ofliquid in said containers while said containers are on said exit feedpath, such that said means for sensing produces a signal whichrepresents said level of liquid, wherein the means for electronicallycontrolling controls a period of time that liquid flows into saidcontainers during a period of high flow and during a period of low flow,and adjusts the period of time for the high flow based on the signal andadjusts the period of time for the low flow based on the signal, andwherein the level of liquid in multiple containers is sensed beforeadjusting the time the valves stay open for the period of high flow andthe period of low flow.
 40. The filling apparatus of claim 39, whereininformation pertaining to said level of liquid in a first group of saidcontainers is obtained by said means for sensing to electrically adjustthe period of time that liquid flows into said containers, and whereininformation pertaining to said level of liquid in a second group of saidcontainers is obtained, said second group of containers being filled bya second means for electrically controlling flow, and is used to adjusta period of time that liquid flows into said second group of containers.41. The filling apparatus of claim 39, wherein said means for sensingcommunicates with a processor which receives said signal and controlssaid period of time for subsequent fillings.
 42. The apparatus accordingto claim 39, further comprising an entrance feed path that leads saidcontainers to said carrier, and a second means for sensing positionedadjacent to said entrance feed path to observe said containers while onsaid entrance feed path, said second means for sensing is operative todetermine a volumetric capacity of said containers before saidcontainers are filled to determine an initial period of time that liquidis to flow into said containers.
 43. The filling apparatus of claim 39,wherein said level of liquid in multiple containers is detected by saidmeans for sensing before adjusting said period that liquid flows intosaid containers, even when the levels of liquid are not consistentbetween said multiple containers.
 44. The filling apparatus of claim 39,wherein said means for sensing obtains data from a plurality ofcontainers that were each filled by said means for controlling toprovide historic data, such that a performance trend of said means forcontrolling is monitored and used to predict future performance of saidmeans for controlling.
 45. The filling apparatus of claim 1, wherein thesensor detects the level of liquid in said containers by determiningrespective weights of said containers, which are filled.
 46. The fillingmethod of claim 21, wherein the sensing comprises determining respectiveweights of said containers, which are filled.
 47. The filling apparatusof claim 39, wherein said means for sensing senses the level of liquidin said containers by determining respective weights of said containers,which are filled.
 48. The filling apparatus of claim 2, wherein saidservo valves allow for an adjustment of a filling speed profile during afilling period.
 49. The filling apparatus of claim 1, wherein aprocessor is provided with a memory that includes an algorithm using atleast mathematical statistics including mean and standard deviationcalculations to determine when and how much to adjust the timing foreach of the plurality of valves.
 50. The method of claim 33, wherein thealgorithm uses mathematical statistics including at least one of meanand standard deviation calculations to determine when and how much toadjust the timing for each of the plurality of valves.